Page 38 of Wedded to the Loveless Duke
“I did.”
“Then why did you not persist? These look very well drawn.”
He kissed her temple. “My father persuaded me that Finance and Shipping were more lucrative for a young man who was insistent upon making his own fortune and way in the world. Enough of the reminiscing, though. Here.” He pulled the drawings closer to them. “I was thinking we might put in a greenhouse section to hide the hunting birds’ roosts. It would give us the chance to plant things that might not grow here otherwise. What do you think?”
“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. It would be very beautiful for walking in with visitors or together.”
He smiled at her. “Indeed. I think I shall enjoy the second much more than the first, though… Oh! I have just remembered, I was going to find you earlier to tell you about an invite we have received.”
“Another one?”
“We cannot very well turn it down. The King is throwing a masquerade ball for all of the nobility, and it would be an affront if we fail to attend.”
Eleanor pursed her lips. “Yes, I suppose you are right. Well, despite His Majesty’s idiosyncrasies, he has always thrown lovely balls.”
“Indeed. I thought we might go to the market to look for a gown or a modiste to make you one, and while we are out, I thought we might also stop by the jeweler’s to get you something specifically for this occasion.”
Eleanor bit her lip and stared down at the plans, running her fingers over the dried lines of ink. “I hardly need another trinket or set of jewelry, Phillip. I am certain I already have something suitable.”
He kissed her shoulder and leaned closer to murmur in her ear. “Nonetheless, my love, it would please me if you would wear something I had bought you.”
“Then I shall wear the diamonds you bought me. They are lovely and will go with anything.”
“Something we purchased together, then.” He kissed his way up her neck to her temple. “Will you deny me that pleasure, Eleanor?”
Her breath hitched in her throat, and she found there was little she wanted to deny him at that moment. “The money…”
“With the debts paid, I am no longer counting every penny, and I still have a sizable income from my own companies. Are you afraid I cannot afford to keep you in style?”
She laughed. “No, I am not. Nor was I ever! I care little for being kept in high style, Phillip. In fact, I do not need diamonds and other pricey baubles.”
“Then, what is it you need?” He turned her to face him and rested his large hands on her waist, his hazel eyes serious.
“I…” Heat coursed through her, and she looked away, unsure how to respond. “Love and affection, I suppose. Respect and freedom too.”
“You have them all, dearest,” Phillip murmured. “But gifts are one way I show my love and affection. Will you not allow me to shower you with both?”
“You promise that you will not unless we can afford it? Just because I grew up a duke’s daughter does not mean I expect to be given the latest wardrobe, more jewels than I could possibly wear and every expensive trinket money can buy. I know the value of frugality in household management as well as in personal accouterments.”
“I know that well. You have my promise that I will be equally wise, Eleanor. Trust me to watch over what is my duty to handle with care, my love. I wish for some societal expectations to be adhered to, and one of them is that I will not have my wife worrying about our finances when I am perfectly capable of that. If we ever are unable to afford something, you will know forthwith, my dear. Besides, this way, I can ensure you will be financially secure should anything ever happen to me. You will have more than enough jewels to make ends meet even if my successor is most unkind.”
Eleanor smiled up at him. Even if she did have somewhat forward notions of what she should be allowed to do, she wouldn’t object to his handling the finances in their marriage. After all, she had been raised to be a lady of a household, and while that entailed working with a budget and wisdom in spending, it did not entail keeping accounts and calculating the budget. That was a task she would gladly leave to Phillip. “Very well, then. When do you wish we go?”
“Why not go now? We can purchase something from one of the street carts hawking food. Perhaps fresh fruits or dried meats.” Phillip beamed, excited by the idea. “Then, we shall stop by the modiste to see what he has for our selection. I sent him a fewsketches and one of your old gowns to use for a pattern. Then, I thought we might see the jeweler next door.”
He really was most at ease when he was with her, she realized. Thoe moments they shared in her father’s library or elsewhere on his estate had been more true to who he was than what she had seen of him outside her father’s house or during the first days of their marriage.
“I know of no other man who would be quite so excited about going out shopping with his wife,” she joked. “But I am glad you are.”
“Perhaps I merely like seeing my wife trying on the things I have chosen for her.” Phillip pressed his nose to the crook of her neck with a smile. “I am but a man after all, Eleanor. What man would not feel some thrill at seeing his woman wearing the things he has bought her?”
Eleanor stifled a laugh and gave a mock huff of protest. “I thought you more refined and modern than that, Your Grace.”
“On the surface, perhaps.” He lifted his head and cast her a sly smile. “Beneath the surface, however, is an entirely different matter.”
“Beneath the surface, there is much more than just a man bent on domineering over his wife.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “You are a complicated man, Phillip Lewis, for which I am very glad. I cannot imagine whatwould have become of me if my father had chosen another man to marry me off to.”
Phillip’s smile shifted to an expression of pain and regret. “If I had been a better man, I would have refused the deal your father made me.”
